I'm about to finish up my 5th year teaching. I cannot believe it.Happiness. Anxiety. Excitement. Dread. Stress. Relief. Laughter. Success. I've experienced it all. After 5 years teaching, I reflect on what I've learned and what I remember and will always remember about what it takes to be an amazing educator! 1. Break the NormAsk why your school do things a certain way. If the answer is "we've always done it that way", break the norm. Transform your classroom, do things you've always wanted to do and don't be afraid. I did SBG and Flipped Learning when people told me it wouldn't work. I started the Sunshine Club when I thought no one would come. Change happens when you step out of your comfort zone. Speak up and make it happen. 2. Classroom Management is EverythingIt doesn't matter if you're the smartest person in the world and you know your subject the best or your have the most engaging lesson in the world. If you don't have classroom management, you have nothing in your room. I work on this every day and embrace it as my challenge as an educator. Every kid can be engaged and on task. My favorite resources are here, here and here. 3. Be Open to Feedback and ReflectionI find a lot of teachers are defensive of their practice. When other educators ask "Why do you do that?" or "What could you improve" many teachers get defensive. With a defensive attitude, you will never improve. Be okay with feedback, implement it and know it's always from a good place. Be reflective. Every day take a moment to think about one amazing thing that happened that day and one thing you could improve on. The best teachers are the most reflective teachers. 4. Find your FriendsDespite being around people all day, teaching is very isolating. I say this to non teachers and they don't believe me. You must find your friends in your school (and outside of school). Sometimes it won't happen immediately (it took me about a year at my current school) but you need to find people you vibe with. Get out of your department and meet more people. 5. It's a Selfless Job, But be SelfishMy first year teaching a teacher told me "If you don't stay late after school until 5 you aren't a good teacher". Hmmmm... I'm suspicious of this statement now. I was staying for no reason. I was staying because I felt like I had to stay. I left. I still leave as soon as I can. I also take all of my personal days. They don't roll over or pay out so I take them! The last few times I took them it was to relax, spend the day to myself doing me. I came back a better teacher. 6. Block Out the NegativityWe all know the negative teachers. They are always complaining and bringing the mood down. This fed into my anxiety for years. So I started to walk away. When that negative person sits down next to me, I leave. When people are gossiping and complaining in the hallway, I leave. It's not rude- it's looking out for yourself. 7. Lighten The MoodEveryone is so serious. Maybe that is life in general but it's also like that in school. Lighten it up. Make some jokes. Make people laugh. I once set out an all school email on April Fool's claiming we were giving away a car. It was funny and made people laugh. 8. Leave Your Grade Level or DepartmentWell, don't break up with them but meet other people at your school. I met a lot of our special ed teachers and they are such fun and easy going people. I met some of the counselors who are so fun and make me laugh. I realized that yes, my department rocks, but you need to meet other people in your school. You never know you get along with, who you can share and collaborate with. 9. Find What Your Kids LoveI think it's weird to say "do things that your kids like". I used to work with a teacher who didn't do certain units or labs because "the kids don't like it". Instead of making excuses, find what kids are interested in. Maybe that is building something, going outside or exploring their passions more. It doesn't always have to be always relating content to a sport or social media, it can be about skills they are interested in. 10. Hold All Kids to a High StandardWhen I read Teach Like a Champion, this is the part that stood out to me. It doesn't matter where your kids from, what they know, what they don't, what their behavior is, etc. All students can succeed and to do this we need to set expectations. I think this is the most important lesson I've learn. It's called collective efficacy. If we all believe that every child can succeed they will. If we give up and lower expectations, they can never reach their full potential. 11. Go to Every Conference and PD You CanWhen approached about *free* PD experience, take the opportunity. "But I'll be out of the classroom!!!" What will make you a better teacher- being in the classroom every day or taking your practice to the next level? Your kids will survive without you. Take up the opportunity. Most importantly, go to conferences. Ask for money to go. Pay your way if needed (which sucks, but treat it as a vacation and pick cities where you can stay with someone). I have met 20-year educators who have never been to a conference. HOW? Do it for yourself and for your kids. 12. Challenge Yourself to Be Better EverydayEven if you have the most "perfect" day in the classroom, ask yourself how it can be better? What could I change? How can I reach all kids. How can you change a project or lesson for next year. If you don't challenge your thinking you will never improve. Some of the best educators I met changed what they did every year. I always am looking for better and more creative ways to do things. The best part about teaching is that tomorrow is a new day. 13. Be Mindful of Your EmotionsThe worst part about teaching is you have to hide what is going on in your personal life. I think there is a line about what we tell our classes. Perhaps you tell them "I'm have an off day, my dog died", but if it's a conflict with admin, teacher or another class hour keep that to yourself. First, this is showing that you let things get to you. Second, it paints a horrible picture of the other party. When I have a hard class hour I treat the next hour as a fresh slate. 14. Advocate for Yourself, Kids and SchoolThere are so many people who will stereotype your school, your kids, the teachers, the admin and basically everything else. You have to be the biggest cheerleader and advocate. When someone says something negative about my district, I turn the script back on them. "Did you know our school is one the most diverse in the county? Did you know we have the best CTE program in the county, awesome theater and leadership? AND two teachers won county teacher of the year back to back." Word of mouth is the best way to advocate. Even when things aren't the best, you have to advocate for what you believe in. 15. Say "%$&! It" to the Bad DaysThere is a reason I go to OrangeTheory Fitness almost every day after school, I watch reality tv and that I take naps. Everyone has bad days. Leave it in the staff parking lot. You can't bring it home. And you shouldn't. Go into the next day fresh and ready to kick butt. 16. Present at PD and ConferencesYour first five years of teaching are the most important and impactful. A good friend told me "I can't present! I only have three years of experience!" You have three years of fresh ideas and new ways to teach. People want to hear about that. People don't care how many years you've been teaching, they care about what you care about. Apply and make it happen! 17. Get a Hobby that has Nothing to do with SchoolOr a significant other and friends if you can. My husband works in the corporate world as a buyer and is my biggest supporter. However, we don't really talk about teaching. That makes it awesome. I love to go to OTF, try new restaurants, travel, organize my house and watch movies. I don't think about teaching then. Teaching is my career, but it is not my life. 18. Leave School at SchoolStop answering emails and Remind after 4pm. Just stop it. The world will keep turning and nothing is that urgent that you can't answer it til morning. I turned off my notifications for my school email and don't have a screen pop-up for Remind. I also have "office hours" on Remind. Work-life balance is everything. 19. Pay Attention to Politics and VOTE!I have talked to several teachers who don't stay updated on local and state politics or even vote. School funding comes from the state level. You must me informed. Vote in every election. Read about what is going on. I can't emphasize how important this in. Be informed for you school, kids and district. You owe it to yourself and others. PS you can't complain if you don't vote. 20. Get on Social MediaFor awhile, social media was a no-no for teachers. Over the years this just isn't true anymore. A positive social media is essential for any professional. You should not be friends with parents or friends however it is great to have a professional twitter and instagram. This is a great place to collaborate and learn new things! 21. The Kids Are Not Your FriendsThis was the best advice I got from a colleague. No matter what, these kids aren't your friends. Don't involve yourself with their gossip, confide in them or interact with them on social media. You are an adult and a trusted mentor. Never be alone in a room with a student without the door open. Be mindful of what you do and say (especially if you are young). 22. Behind Every Behavior Problem is a StoryWhen I started teaching, I thought kids were bad just to be bad. That's not true. When a kid is acting out or disengaged, distracted or off task, defiant or non-responsive... something else is going on. After realizing this, I began to approach behavior problems differently. For instance, the kid who's sleeping in class- what is happening outside of school? Turns out the student doesn't always have access to his medicine. Problem solved! Just thinking about our behavior problems as stories that need to be told will change you. 23. Know Your Biases & Educate Yourself about Social JusticeI've heard teachers say "I treat all kids the same." or "I love diversity!", but I hear little discussion on our actual biases and what our students of color and low income kids are challenged with. Many people (not just teachers) are scared of confronting these biases. However this is part of living in our society. We must look at ourselves, examine our identity and biases and take action. We need to call out and have conversations with the people around us. And read some books... here, here, here, here and here. Read, educate yourself and have the tough conversations. It's better for your kids. 24. Do Nice Things for No ReasonI like this one because during a rough day there's nothing better than doing nice things. It's why I started our school's Sunshine Club. I wanted to do nice things for no reason other than to make people smile. Nice things are easy: make a shout out board in the teachers' lounge, grab someone's copies, write a thank you note, bake cookies for a friend or ask if a teacher needs any help. Want to do even more? Plan a potluck, happy hour or outing with your staff! 25. Relationships are EverythingI can't emphasize this enough. You can know all your content, all the pedagogy but if you don't know your kids- that doesn't mean anything. Get to know your kids and who they are. This goes to adults in the building too. Say hi and get to know the staff: teachers, paras, custodians, secretaries, your principals. If you don't like someone, maybe it's time to get to know them. What else have you learned over the years teaching? Drop a comment below or reach out @outoftheboxstem?
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